Agra, Uttar Pradesh – A major crackdown by Agra Police under Operation Asmita has exposed an alleged religious conversion network suspected of using radicalisation techniques inspired by ISIS to target Hindu girls. Authorities believe the group received foreign funding linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, with money trails traced to the UAE, UK, Canada, and the United States.
Initial Discovery: Disappearance Leads to Dark Network
The investigation began in March 2025 after a missing persons report was filed at the Sadar Bazar police station in Agra. Two sisters—one a Ph.D. scholar—were reported missing. As police traced their movements, it led them to a disturbing web of indoctrination, fake identities, and interstate trafficking.
Authorities later located the sisters in Kolkata. The older sibling had previously vanished in 2021 after being introduced to a Kashmiri woman named Saima during coaching classes. Saima allegedly influenced her religious views, encouraging a trip to Kashmir which led to her initial conversion. Despite intervention at that time, she once again disappeared in March 2025—this time accompanied by her 19-year-old sister.
Family Speaks Out: A Sudden Transformation
The girls’ parents shared with India Today that after the first trip to Kashmir, their elder daughter rejected her faith, adopted Islamic dress codes, and became vocal about Islamic practices. The younger daughter, who had always been close to her sister, soon followed the same path.
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“After Kashmir, she was no longer the same. She started asking to perform Namaz and wore a hijab. This time, when they went missing, we feared she had taken her younger sister down the same path,” the distraught parents said.
They suspect the syndicate intentionally waited until the younger daughter turned 18 to exploit legal loopholes to facilitate marriage after conversion.
The Modus Operandi: Brainwashing, Funding, Fake IDs
Police revealed that the syndicate recruited local operatives who lured young girls through emotional manipulation, religious preaching, and online content. Extremist material was disseminated via a YouTube channel called The Sunnah Channel, operated by one of the accused, Abdul Rehman Qureshi.
Key players in the network included:
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Abdul Rehman Qureshi (Agra): Allegedly radicalised girls via YouTube content
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Osama (Kolkata): Helped relocate victims to evade detection
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Mustafa alias Manoj (Delhi): Provided fake SIM cards and new phones
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Ayesha alias SB Krishna (Goa): Financial coordinator for the network
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Shekhar Rai alias Hasan Ali (Kolkata): Legal advisor handling forged documents
The finances, according to police, flowed through foreign accounts linked to Canada-based Syed Dawood Ahmed and were distributed within India to execute operations.
Arrests and Denials: Families in Shock
Among those arrested is Abdul Rehman Qureshi, a shoe shop worker described as quiet and introverted by his parents. They expressed disbelief over the allegations, claiming ignorance of any radical activity.
“We don’t know how he could run an English YouTube channel. He didn’t even pass his Class 12 exams,” his father said, adding that police gave them no explanation during the arrest.
“We urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure our son gets justice. These accusations are false,” the family pleaded.
Past Precedents: A Pattern of Radicalisation in Uttar Pradesh
This case follows a pattern of similar incidents in Uttar Pradesh, including previously busted networks involving controversial clerics Maulana Umar Gautam and Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui. More recently, authorities dismantled a conversion ring operated by Chhangur Baba, alias Jamaluddin, in Balrampur.
Operation Asmita appears to be part of a broader initiative by law enforcement to dismantle these coercive religious networks and protect vulnerable communities from radical influence.
